Author: Kanayan Tamar

COOPERATION BETWEEN VIVACELL-MTS AND OPERA SUPPORT FUND MARKED BY HOLIDAY CONCERT

15:14 25/12/2014 >> CULTURE

On the occasion of the coming holidays a concert took place at the
National Academic State Opera and Ballet Theatre after A. Spendiaryan
that summed up the results of the cooperation between VivaCell-MTS and
the Opera Support Fund during 2014, the press service of VivaCell-MTS
reports.

The Symphonic Orchestra of the Opera Theatre (artistic director and
conductor Karen Durgaryan, who is also the founder of the Fund and the
President of the Board of Trustees), soloists, as well as the special
guest – famous Germany-based singer Hrachuhi Bazents performed works
of Joseph Strauss, Johann Strauss, F. Suppe, F. Lehar, E. Kalman at
the “Vienna Gala” concert.

Owing to AMD 24 million of support from VivaCell-MTS, the Opera Support
Fund has organized 28 events throughout 2014, considerably enriching
the cultural life in the capital as well as in the regions of Armenia.

“Opera is a national value. Armenian opera is a cradle of talented,
internationally acclaimed performers, whose world-known names fill
our hearts with pride. VivaCell-MTS spares no effort to support
the further development of the opera theatre. We want to provide
the conditions that our artists need for conquering heights, for
maintaining their important place on the international artistic stage
and for creating vivid characters, thus enriching the repertoire of the
opera theatre with their impressive and unforgettable performances,”
noted VivaCell-MTS General Manager Ralph Yirikian.

LE SENAT AMERICAIN CONFIRME SES AMBASSADEURS EN ARMENIE ET EN AZERBAIDJAN

ARMENIE

Le Senat americain a confirme Richard Mills comme prochain ambassadeur
en Armenie. John Heffern, l’ambassadeur sortant, a tweete un message
de felicitation a son successeur.

Le Senat a egalement confirme Robert Cekuta comme ambassadeur en
Azerbaïdjan.

Richard Mills a ete chef de mission adjoint a l’ambassade americaine
a Beyrouth, au Liban. Avant cela, il a servi comme Charge d’Affaires
de l’ambassade americaine a Malte. Plus tôt dans sa carrière,
Mills a travaille a Washington au bureau sovietique, pour finalement
devenir agent de bureau pour l’Armenie et l’Azerbaïdjan nouvellement
independantes.

jeudi 25 decembre 2014, Stephane (c)armenews.com

UN NOEL DE FORTUNE AU MILIEU DES RUINES DE HOMS

Syrie

Des guirlandes courent sur les balcons demantibules, une toile verte
dessine la forme d’un sapin : avec les moyens du bord, les chretiens
donnent une couleur de fete a leur premier Noël dans le vieux Homs
en ruines après plus de trois ans de guerre en Syrie.

“Notre joie est indescriptible”, temoigne Taghrid Naanaa, les yeux
brillants en choisissant des decorations dans l’unique papèterie qui
vient de rouvrir ses portes.

Cette quinquagenaire se rejouit de celebrer Noël dans son quartier de
Hamidiye, qu’elle avait dû quitter en raison des combats sans merci
ayant oppose l’armee et les rebelles dans le dedale des rues de la
troisième ville de Syrie.

Les habitants, dont de nombreux chretiens, ont commence a y revenir
lorsqu’en mai l’armee l’a repris après un siège et des bombardements
quotidiens sur ce reduit defendu avec acharnement par les rebelles.

“Nous ne voulions pas celebrer Noël avant d’etre revenus chez nous”,
affirme Taghrid Naanaa, vetue d’un manteau noir et d’un cache-nez brun.

(lire la suite voir lien plus bas)

jeudi 25 decembre 2014, Jean Eckian (c)armenews.com

3 MORTS CETTE NUIT SUR LA ROUTE EREVAN-ETCHMIADZINE PRES DU VILLAGE DE MOUSSALER

ARMENIE-ACCIDENT DE LA ROUTE

La nuit dernière, vers 2h du matin, un grave accident de la circulation
s’est produit sur la route reliant Erevan a Etchmiadzine, près du
village de Moussaler (fonde par les habitants de Moussa Dagh).

Les pompiers aussi arrives sur place ont constate la violence du choc
de la voiture Mercedès qui avait quitte la route pour s’ecraser dans
un mur. Avant meme l’arrivee des secours, les automobilistes avaient
sorti de la voiture, les corps des 3 personnes qui se trouvaient a
l’interieur de la voiture dont 2 etaient morts sur le coup dans la
violence du choc. La troisième personne, transportee par les pompiers
vers un hôpital devait succomber a ses blessures lors du parcours.

Krikor Amirzayan

jeudi 25 decembre 2014, Krikor Amirzayan (c)armenews.com

HAYKAKAN ZHAMANAK: CASH SHORTAGE REPORTED IN PROVINCES

‘Haykakan Zhamanak’ says that dram shortages were reported in Armenian
provinces yesterday. In particular, many citizens could not receive
their wages from ATMs and when they visited banks, they were told
that the banks did not have cash either.

“According to our sources, there are two reasons. First, people
received their wages for the end of the year and they are now spending
money on purchases ahead of the New Year. The Central Bank of Armenia
(CBA) recently raised the reserve requirement for foreign currency
from 12% to 24% so banks have to send a huge share of their cash in
drams to CBA and they lack cash drams. We were informed that many
banks had to sell their foreign currency to deal with the problem and
in this way the situation has improved in the past three days. Yet
this make many think that the financial market has not yet overcome
the December shock,” the daily writes.

25.12.14, 12:43

MARTIROSYAN: AZERBAIJAN UNDERSTANDS ONLY LANGUAGE OF FORCE

14:10 25/12/2014 >> POLITICS

The increase of tensions in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was one of
the most significant events of the passing year, deputy chairman of
Heritage Party Armen Martirosyan told reporters on Thursday.

Martirosyan underscored Azerbaijan’s downing of Nagorno-Karabakh’s
MI-24 helicopter on November 12, as well as the brilliant operation
conducted by Nagorno-Karabakh special forces to recover the helicopter
crew bodies.

The politician noted that at this moment, he sees no way of resolving
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict because “Azerbaijan understands only
the language of force.”

Source: Panorama.am

UN VETERAN DE LA GUERRE AU KARABAGH ACCUSE LE GOUVERNEMENT

ARMENIE

Un veteran de la guerre au Karabagh qui a ete attaque par des gens
masques la semaine dernière accuse le gouvernement d’etre derrière
l’attaque qui a suscite une grande reaction du public en Armenie.

BAKU SEES ANTI-AZERBAIJANI SENTIMENTS IN ISRAEL

Turan Information Agency, Azerbaijan
December 22, 2014 Monday

Baku/22.12.14/Turan: Presidential spokesman Azer Gasimov sharply
criticized the government of Israel. Reason for this was the critical
articles about Azerbaijan in newspapers “Jerusalem Post” and “Haaretz”.

These papers periodically publish hostile, absolutely unfounded slander
articles about Azerbaijanm, said Gasimov in an interview with state
agency “Azertaj.”

“Taking into account the relationship between the government and
the media in Israel, you come to the conclusion that all this is
not accidental. In particular, the absence of any response from the
formal structures of these materials gives reason to believe that it
is an official order,” said Gasimov.

In his opinion, the articles in “Haaretz” and “Jerusalem Post” are
far from journalistic ethics and are defamatory materials. “These
articles, undoubtedly, are funded by the leading anti-Azerbaijani
campaign, and are fully ordered,” said the spokesman.

The articles in the Israeli press described the facts of suppression
of human rights and harassment of journalists in Azerbaijan. In
particular, the fate of the arrested journalist Khadija Ismayilova and
human rights activist Leyla Yunus. “It would be nice if the authors
of these articles drew attention to the disruption of human rights,
freedom of speech and conscience, democratic principles in their
country,” said Gasimov. He further said that in Israel the situation
of journalists is “deplorable.”

As an evidence Gasimov refers to the reports of international
organizations, fixing violations of media freedom. But for some reason,
when these same organizations have documented similar violations in
Azerbaijan, Azer Gasimov and his chiefs vehemently deny them, and
call them political order and the machinations of the Armenian lobby.

In particular, Gasimov lists the facts stated in the reports of
“Reporters Without Borders”, Freedom House, Amnesty International and
other structures, pointing out that according to the World freedom
index, this year Israel dropped by 36 points.

In the higher echelons of the Israeli authorities ” are serious
cases of corruption”, and Israeli citizens are deprived of educational
opportunities, and so on. “I believe that the authors of these articles
and those who are behind these materials seriously undermine the
international image of Israel. The Government of Israel has always
said that it is trying to improve relations with Azerbaijan. Those
who have ordered these articles, no doubt, set a goal to undermine
the Israeli-Azerbaijani relations,” makes far-reaching conclusions
the spokesman. -02D-

ARMENIA SEES NO REASONS FOR SKIPPING EUROPEAN GAMES

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Dec 23 2014

23 December 2014 – 3:04pm

Secretary General of the Armenian National Olympic Committee
Grachya Rostamyan said that there were no reasons to skip the first
Summer European Games hosted by Baku in 2015. He clarified that all
professional and security problems had been settled, News Armenia
reports.

Armenia will give its final word on participation in the games before
February 2015.

THE YEAR THE CULTURE WARS WENT GLOBAL

Eesti elu, Estonian World Review
Dec 23 2014

Arvamus 23 Dec 2014

Turning geopolitics into a battlefield over values is a really
bad idea.

Frank Furedi, spiked 23 December 2014

A century after the outbreak of the First World War, it seems humanity
is confronted with new cultural disputes that have the potential to
mutate into violent conflicts.

The experience of the past century has demonstrated that the
politicisation of culture always ends badly. And little wonder:
cultural crusaders create a climate of intolerance towards the norms
and values of their cultural targets. They are often censorious and
seek to devalue their opponents. In its more extreme forms, cultural
politics leads to the mutual dehumanisation of the antagonists.

Such dehumanising sentiments were far too evident a century ago. The
Armenian genocide of 1915 represented the most extreme and destructive
manifestation of this lethal synthesis of culture and militarism.

Tragically, almost a century later, the spectre of culturally motivated
violence haunts that region once more. Until recently, the great
Armenian church in Deir el-Zour in Syria served as a memorial to the
mass killings that occurred during the Great War. Earlier this year,
however, in a savage act of vandalism, a group of Islamists blew the
church up. They destroyed its archives, and the bones of hundreds of
victims of the 1915 massacre were left strewn in the streets.

Today, the most extreme exponents of the politicisation of culture
are the jihadist zealots who regard the lives of those who do not
share their faith as unworthy of moral value. But the depravity and
barbarism of a movement such as the Islamic State can obscure the
disturbing reality: namely, that the politicisation of culture, and
its intolerant consequences, is gaining strength across the world. It
has certainly contributed to the hardening of the rivalry between
the West and Russia. And it is this, the emergence of a caricature
of the Cold War, that is arguably the most significant international
development of 2014.

It seems that disputes about lifestyle, family life, sexual orientation
and the nature of community life are no longer confined to the
domestic sphere. The Culture Wars have gone global. Muslim jihadists
are not just fighting with bombs; they are directly assaulting Western
liberal values and denouncing them as immoral. For his part, Russian
president Vladimir Putin has sought to present himself as fighting
for traditionalism and the Christian way of life.

In turn, Western diplomats have criticised Russia for its patriarchal
and sexist culture.